Genes, Germs and the Environment

Dr. John McLachlan received his B.A. degree in Liberal Arts from the Johns Hopkins University and a doctoral degree in pharmacology from the George Washington University in 1971. He worked at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for more than 20 years, and w42as appointed Scientific Director of the Institute in 1989. Dr. McLachlan moved to the Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research in as the Celia Scott and Albert J. Weatherhead, III Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of CBR in 1995.

Dr. McLachlan is internationally known for his work on diethylstilbestrol (DES) and the health effects of environmental pollutants that interact with the estrogen receptor. Dr McLachlan has been published in more than 200 peer reviewed publications, 50 book chapters and 5 edited books. He was one of the first to recognize the global health implications of environmental estrogens both in terms of research and health policy. His laboratory was the first to confirm the association between maternal use of DES and cancers of the reproductive tract of female offspring. He has also served as an expert on the role of other environmental pollutants, which have been in the news, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and bisphenol A.

"Hero of the Year" Breast Cancer Fund

Lifetime Achievement Award from DES Action, on behalf of the approximately 4 million women exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Directors Award

Newsweek Magazine Century Club: One of the 100 People to Watch as America moves into the Next Millennium

His talk highlighted the intricate interactions between environmental estrogens and cancer, and the importance of developing sound public health policies to limit exposure to environmental carcinogens.